Latching means for french doors



y 8, 1963 R. c. ALLEN, JR, ETAL 3,091,232

LATCHING MEANS FOR FRENCH DOORS Filed May 19, 1960 Fig. 2

INVENTORS ,1 Robert 0.,4llen, Jr

7, By Laurence J. Mil/er iinitcd rates 3,091,232 LATCHIN G MEANS FOR FRENCH DOOR Robert C. Allen, J12, Trotweod, and Laurence Ii. Mitter,

Dayton, Ohio, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 19, 1960, Ser. No. 30,363 2 Claims. (Cl. 126-199) This invention relates to a domestic appliance and more particularly to an improved latch arrangement for a pair of French oven doors.

In order to provide proper baking temperatures within an oven, it is necessary that the sealing arrangement between the oven casing and the doors for closing same be maintained in proper alignment. In the patent to Pearce, 2,707,225, issued April 26, 1955, a hinge and latch arrangement for a pair of French doors of the subject type is set forth. In manufacturing the patented range, however, it is necessary to incorporate a measure of tolerance or play in the door actuating linkage for production convenience. Thus, one of the oven doors in the production device generally leads the other when the doors are closed. This results in French doors which are out of alignment with the oven casing and with each other either vertically or horizontally. When out of alignment vertically, the appearance of the range was impaired, while an out of horizontal alignment alfects adversely the oven sealing arrangement. It is to the solution of these and other problems that the present invention is directed.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an interlock arrangement for French doors which will universally align said doors when the doors are closed.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an interlock arrangement for French oven doors which will align said doors with said oven casing and with each other both vertically and horizontally when closed.

A more specific object of this invention is the provision of a conically concave bushing on one of a pair of French doors and a mating conically nosed pin on the other of said doors and adapted to enter said bushing during closing movement of said doors.

A still more specific object of this invention is the provision on one of a pair of French doors of a bushing with inwardly conical sidewalls sufficiently wide to receive a conically nosed pin on the other of said French doors so that either a leading or a trailing movement by either of said doors may be compensated for to position the French doors into proper juxtaposition both horizontally and vertically.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention are clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of a rangehaving an oven closed by a pair of French doors suitable for use with this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic fragmentary perspective view of the French doors in a partially open position;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 33 in FIGURE 1 with the French doors closed;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 33 in FIGURE 1 with the right-hand door leading the left-hand door in a door closing movement; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 33 in FIGURE 1 with the right-hand door trailing the left-hand door in a door closing movement.

In accordance with this invention and with reference 3,691,232 Patented May 28, 1953 to FIGURE 1, an electric range It is shown. The range It is comprised of a top cooking surface 12, a control panel 14 and an oven compartment shown generally at 16. The oven compartment or casing is closed by a pair of French doors 18, 2%) having a pair of handles 22, 24 thereon for convenience in opening and closing the doors. As taught in the aforementioned patent to Pearce, the bottoms of the French doors 18 and 20 are interconnected through a linkage arrangement beneath the oven compartment. The oven doors 18 and 20 are swung horizontally about their vertical pivot points and are guided by a movable connection between the doors in the form of a device which is located outside of the oven liner 13 and below the insulation along the bottom wall of the oven liner. This device includes a guide in the form of a round rod 15 stationarily mounted beneath the oven liner. The device also includes a slidable element 17 slidably mounted on the rod for movement back and forth therealong. A first door support arm 19 and a second door support arm 21 have their one end respectively pivotally attached to the slidable element 17. The other ends of the arms 19, 21 are respectively pivotally connected to the doors 1% and 20. This linkage arrangement is provided with a spring-biased latch arrangement which receives a protuberance on the door actuating linkage yieldingly to restrain the French doors in a closed position. Mass production techniques in the manufacture of electric ranges requires that the linkage shown in the Pearce patent include sufiicient looseness, tolerance or play to allow a certain compensating leeway in assembling the range. Such a requirement permits one of said doors 18 or 20 to lead the other as the French doors are opened or closed, depending on which door is being actuated. In other words, the interconnecting linkage arrange ment will permit both doors to open upon the actuation of either of the doors. Thus, when the French door 18 is pulled open, the right oven door 28, actuated through the linkage, will trail slightly. Conversely, upon closing the French doors the door pushed will lead the other door. The result is that one oven door is frequently offset from the other when the doors are finally closed.

To solve the aforementioned problem and with reference to FIGURE 3, the left-hand French door 18 is formed with a front door panel 26 having an inwardly turned peripheral side or edge flange 28 from which a plurality of tabs 30 interconnect with a frontwardly turned flange 32 on a rear reinforcement door panel 34. Immediately adjacent the reinforcement panel 34 and fastened thereto is the rear or inner door panel 36 which terminates in a frontwardly extending support flange 38 for receiving a door seal 40. Insulation 41 may be included in the doors to improve heat retention in the oven. Similarly, the right-hand French door 20 includes a righthand front door panel 42 having a peripheral side or edge flange 44 which is connected by a tab 46 to the right-hand door reinforcement panel 48. Adjacent to the reinforcement panel 48 is the right-hand rear or inner door panel 50 which has a terminal flange 52 for supporting a seal 54.

Positioned near the top of the left-hand French door 18 is an interlock bushing or socket 56 which inserts through an opening 58 in the left-hand door flange 28. An interlock retaining spring 60 snap-fits into an annular groove 61 on the bushing 56 and locks the bushing to the door flange 28. The bushing 56 is formed with a central cylindrical opening portion or port 62 extending inwardly of said French door 18 and a conical portion 64 facing the side flange 44 of the right-hand door 20. Completing the interlock arrangement, the right-hand door 20 carries a round interlock pin or protuberance 66 which is fastened to the side flange 44 of the door 20 by means of a bolt 68 extending through the flange 44 and into a 3 tapped hole in the interlock pin 66. The pin 66 is comprised of a conical nose portion 70 formed integrally on one end of a round lock portion 71 having approximately the same diameter as the opening 62 in the bushing 56. When the French doors 18 and 20 are closed as in FIG- URE 3, the conical nose 70 of the pin 66 leads the lock portion 71 into the opening 62 of the bushing to retain the oven doors 18 and 20 properly aligned. Thus, the pin and bushing arrangement compensates for any play existing in the door actuating linkage and/ or hinging arrangement and properly positions the doors both vertically and horizontally.

Two situations arise in French door movement which are corrected by the teachings of this invention. In FIG- URE 4, the right-hand French door 20 is being pushed closed by the operator. Consequently, with slight tolerance or play in the actuating linkage, the right-hand door 20 will lead the left-hand door 18 as it closes. It will be seen that the conical nose 70 of the interlock pin 66 engages the inner peripheral edge of the conical depression 64 in the bushing 56. Such engagement will cause the pin 66 to be channeled into the bushing opening 62 as the door is forced closed.

On the other hand, and with reference to FIGURE 5, if the left-hand French door 18 is being pushed in a closing direction, the right-hand door 20 will trail. Here again, the conical nose 70 of the interlock pin will engage the conical surface 64 along the outer peripheral edge thereof and will be channeled thereby into the cylindrical opening 62. In either case the interfitting of the pin 66 into the opening 62 will align the French doors both vertically and horizontally. It should be noted that the diameter of the bushing 56 and more particularly, the outer limits of the conical depression 64 may be adjusted to compensate for any amount of tolerance or play existing in the French door actuating linkage or door hinge connection.

It should now be seen that an improved interlock arrangement has been provided for French doors which will improve the appearance of the doors when closed by effecting both vertical and horizontal alignment. When such doors are in use on an oven, the automatic positioning of the French doors horizontally will improve the sealing engagement of the doors With the oven casing. Both the bushing 56 and the pin 66 may be metallic fittings of the type easily mass produced at low cost by conventional screw machines. Thus, the advantag'csof this .invention are achieved without significantly altering the cost of the product.

While embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In combination with an oven casing defining an oven liner having an opening, a guide rod fixed relative to said casing beneath said oven liner, left and righthand vertically pivotable doors for closing said opening, a slidable element slidably mounted on said guide rod, a pair of 'door support arms loosely interconnectably related to each other and to said slidable element at one end thereof and to each of said doors respectively 4 at the other end thereof whereby movement of one of said doors initiates slightly trailing movement of the other of said doors, said left-hand door having a first outer panel having a first inwardly turned peripheral flange, said right-hand door having a second outer panel having a second inwardly turned peripheral flange in juxtaposition to said first flange when said doors are closed, an interlocking bushing on said first flange having an inwardly conical portion in juxtaposition to said second flange when said doors are closed and having a cylindrical port at the conically inner end of said conical portion, said bushing being normally immovable relative to said first flange, an interlock pin on said second flange in generally horizontally coplanar relationship to said bushing and normally immovable relative to said second flange, said interlock pin having a conical nose portion engageable with said inwardly conical portion of said interlock bushing during said movement of one of said doors to channel said interlock pin toward said port, and said interlock pin having a round lock portion coextensive with said port and adapted to enter into closely fitting engagement with said port when said doors are closed, thereby to align said doors both horizontally and vertically.

2. In combination with an oven casing defining an opening, a guide rod in said casing, left and right-hand vertically pivotable doors for closing said opening, a pair of door support arms loosely interconnectably related to each other and to said guide rod at one end thereof and to each of said doors respectively at the other end thereof whereby movement of one of said doors initiates slightly trailing movement of the other of said doors, said left-hand door having a first outer panel having a first inwardly turned peripheral flange, said right-hand door having a second outer panel having a second inwardly turned peripheral flange in juxtaposition to said first flange when said doors are closed, an interlock bushing on one of said flanges having an inwardly conical portion in juxtaposition to the other of said flanges when said doors are closed and having a cylindrical port at the conically inner end of said conical portion, said bushing being normally immovable relative to said one flange, an interlock pin on the other of said flanges in generally horizontally coplanar relationship to said bushing and normally immovable relative to said other of said flanges, said interlock pin having a conical nose portion engageable with said inwardly conical portion of said interlock bushing during said movement of said one of said doors to channel said interlock pin toward said port, and said interlock pin having a round lock portion coextensive with said port and adapted to enter into closely fitting engagement with said port when said doors are closed, thereby to align said doors both horizontally and vertically.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH AN OVEN CASING DEFINING AN OVEN LINER HAVING AN OPENING, A GUIDE ROD FIXED RELATIVE TO SAID CASING BENEATH SAID OVEN LINER, LEFT AND RIGHTHAND VERTICALLY PIVOTABLE DOORS FOR CLOSING SAID OPENING, A SLIDABLE ELEMENT SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID GUIDE ROD, A PAIR OF DOOR SUPPORT ARMS LOOSELY INTERCONNECTABLY RELATED TO EACH OTHER AND TO SAID SLIDABLE ELEMENT AT ONE END THEREOF AND TO EACH OF SAID DOORS RESPECTIVELY AT THE OTHER END THEREOF WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF ONE OF SAID DOORS INITIATES SLIGHTLY TRAILING MOVEMENT OF THE OTHER OF SAID DOORS, SAID LEFT-HAND DOOR HAVING A FIRST OUTER PANEL HAVING A FIRST INWARDLY TURNED PERIPHERAL FLANGE, SAID RIGHT-HAND DOOR HAVING A SECOND OUTER PANEL HAVING A SECOND INWARDLY TURNED PERIPHERAL FLANGE IN JUXTAPOSITION TO SAID FIRST FLANGE WHEN SAID DOORS ARE CLOSED, AN INTERLOCKING BUSHING ON SAID FIRST FLANGE HAVING AN INWARDLY CONICAL PORTION IN JUXTAPOSITION TO SAID SECOND FLANGE WHEN SAID DOORS ARE CLOSED AND HAVING A CYLINDRICAL PORT AT THE CONICALLY INNER END OF SAID CONICAL PORTION, SAID BUSHING BEING NORMALLY IMMOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST FLANGE, AN INTERLOCK PIN ON SAID SECOND FLANGE IN GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY COPLANAR RELATIONSHIP TO SAID BUSHING AND NORMALLY IMMOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID SECOND FLANGE, SAID INTERLOCK PIN HAVING A CONICAL NOSE PORTION ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID INWARDLY CONICAL PORTION OF SAID INTERLOCK BUSING DURING SAID MOVEMENT OF ONE OF SAID DOORS TO CHANNEL SAID INTERLOCK PIN TOWARD SAID PORT, AND SAID INTERLOCK PIN HAVING A ROUND LOCK PORTION COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID PORT AND ADAPTED TO ENTER INTO CLOSELY FITTING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PORT WHEN SAID DOORS ARE CLOSED, THEREBY TO ALIGN SAID DOORS BOTH HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY. 